Seventeen E-30 Impressions... 9/17 ~ Vaughan Williams

I currently own the E1, E330 and E420 (and 14-54, 50 macro, 50-200 and 25mm pancake lenses). My main photographic interests are landscapes, nature close ups (flowers and insects), travel and family.

I was delighted when the E330 was introduced as the Live View and articulating screen was ideal for my nature close ups. I use Live View B and manual focusing for low level tripod shots of wild flowers. I use Live View A, with continuous auto focus, for hand held shots of butterflies and other insects.

When the E3 was introduced I found it just a little too big (I have very small hands) and a little too heavy for me. But when the diminutive, but fully featured E420 was introduced I found it to be my ideal everyday camera. Coupled with the 14-54 it goes nearly everywhere with me. Coupled with the 25mm pancake it goes to places where previously I would have taken a compact instead of a DSLR.

So I have the E1 to fall back on for bad weather shots, I have the E330 for my nature close ups, and the E420 as my every day companion. Ideally I would like a single model to replace all my existing models. It would have the following features:-
Small and light; Robust; Weatherproof; Live View; A tilting/swivelling LCD.

So, can the E30 come close to matching my requirements for a single model? Obviously I will have to compromise on weatherproofing. But it seems to meet the robustness requirement. It feels extremely well made and many people argue that today’s top quality plastics are as robust as metal.

Small and light? Yes and no. It is definitely smaller and lighter than the E3. It’s very similar to the E1, which was my only camera for nearly two years, before I got the E330. I checked it bottom to bottom with my E420 and it’s about half an inch wider and taller. With the new 14-54 mounted it’s not all that much heavier than the E420 with 14-54, and it fits into the very small bag I use to carry the E420 and 14-54. But with the 25mm pancake on it still looks like a ‘big’ camera. So if this were my only body I would probably have to revert to using a compact for those occasions where it’s inappropriate to be carrying a large camera.

But the single most important criterion is performance of Live View for my close up nature work. With the swivelling LCD it is actually more versatile than the E330 for low level tripod work using manual focus. So no contest here: the E30 wins hands down.

However, there is no Live View A implementation: if you want to use auto focus and Live View then you have to rely on the contrast detection focusing. This is implemented in a similar fashion to the E4/520 models with Imager AF (for lenses totally compatible with CDAF) and Hybrid AF (for other lenses). Imager AF is quite fast and responsive: it might just do the job, but unfortunately the 50mm macro is not compatible with Imager AF. So my method of using Live View as a framing aid whilst I slowly approach a butterfly, relying on continuous auto focus to get and keep the subject in focus, will be severely compromised.

I would probably be forced to revert to the method which I used with the E1: using the optical viewfinder and manual focus. Fortunately the optical viewfinder is about the same size and brightness as the E1 and so this method would be feasible. Alternatively, the extra speed of the 11 point auto focus system might prove beneficial for this type of photography.

On balance I think the E3 will do the macro job for me very well. There are a two other facilities which help hand held close up photography: Auto ISO and Image Stabilisation. Small apertures are required to get enough depth of field to keep the whole of a butterfly in focus. This brings the danger of slow shutter speeds in less than very bright conditions. Image Stabilisation will obviously help, but so will Auto ISO, which in Aperture Priority mode increases the ISO once the shutter speed gets down to the minimum required for handholding. These functions will enable me to set an appropriate aperture and concentrate on the job of framing and focusing without having to keep an eye on the shutter speed.

So I am convinced the E30 could be my single model, meeting all my photographic requirements. Whether it’s the camera for you, only you can tell. Here is a list of my other likes/dislikes which may help you make your mind up:

• It is quite comfortable for my small hands to hold, about on a par with the E1, but surprisingly I found the heavier E3 was even more comfortable.
• I think the top LCD is a waste of space. With all the information you need available in the viewfinder and on the LCD I don’t see the need for this. This space could have been better used for analogue switches/dials for focus and drive setting.
• The AEL button (which I use frequently to invoke autofocus when in manual focus mode) is where it needs to be: just right for your thumb to drop on. On the E3 it is a bit too far away from the thumb which means you loosen your grip on the camera as your thumb stretches over to it.